DALLAS (FWAA) – The Oklahoma Sooners are favored
to win the Grantland Rice Trophy in the Football Writers
Association of America's annual preseason poll.

Oklahoma, which won the Big 12 title last season, would snap
a string of five straight Southeastern Conference teams to win the
FWAA trophy if the FWAA voters are accurate. Auburn won the trophy
last season, Alabama in 2009, Florida in 2008 and 2006, and LSU
in 2007.

The Grantland Rice Trophy has been awarded to the top team in
college football by the FWAA since 1954. Oklahoma last won the Grantland
Rice Trophy in 2000. The Sooners have claimed the FWAA Trophy a
total of five times (1955, 1956, 1975, 1985 and 2000).

The Sooners garnered seven first-place votes to Alabama’s five.
LSU, Stanford and South Carolina each received one first-place vote.
Oklahoma’s 229 points easily outdistanced second place Alabama,
which was followed by Oregon, Boise State and LSU. Oregon and LSU
will face each other in their season opener on Sept. 3 at Cowboys
Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Rounding out the Top 10 are Florida State, Stanford, Nebraska,
Virginia Tech and Texas A&M. The SEC had the most
teams in the Super 16 with four (Alabama, LSU, Arkansas and South
Carolina). The Big 12 had the next most with three. No other conference
had more than two teams in the Super 16.

2011 PRESEASON GRANTLAND RICE POLL

Rank

School [1st]

Conference

Pts.

W-L

Opening Game

1.

Oklahoma [7]

Big 12

229

12-2

vs. Tulsa

2.

Alabama [5]

SEC

213

10-3

vs. Kent State

3.

Oregon

Pac-12

196

12-1

vs. No. 5 LSU

4.

Boise State

Mountain West

175

12-1

vs. Georgia

5.

LSU [1]

SEC

174

11-2

vs. No. 3 Oregon

6.

Florida State

ACC

162

10-4

vs. ULM

7.

Stanford [1]

Pac-12

136

12-1

vs. San Jose State

8.

Nebraska

Big Ten

107

10-4

vs. Chattanooga

9.

Virginia Tech

ACC

106

11-3

vs. Appalachian State

10.

Texas A&M

Big 12

91

9-4

vs. SMU

11.

Oklahoma State

Big 12

84

11-2

vs. Louisiana

12.

Arkansas

SEC

62

10-3

vs. Missouri State

13.

Notre Dame

Independent

58

8-5

vs. USF

14.

Wisconsin

Big Ten

50

11-2

vs. UNLV

15.

South Carolina [1]

SEC

49

9-5

vs. East Carolina

16.

TCU

Mountain West

37

13-0

at Baylor

Records
are from the 2010 season

The 2011 Grantland Rice Trophy will be awarded by a vote of selected
board members and past presidents of the association after the Allstate
BCS Championship Game. It will be presented to the FWAA's national
champion the morning after the BCS title game in New Orleans.

The Grantland Rice Trophy, given to college football's
national champion since 1954, is named in memory of the legendary
sportswriter. It was the first national championship awarded presented
after college football's post-season.

While the FWAA will not conduct a weekly poll this season, it
will present the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week
each Monday, as selected by a panel of select FWAA members. This
marks the tenth season the FWAA will present a team of the week.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization
founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women who cover college football
for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists,
as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works
to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America
team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve
Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com or 972-713-6198.